My message to Canada’s municipal leaders

June 3, 2013

This weekend I visited Vancouver and spoke to municipal leaders from across the country at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ annual convention. I shared with them my perspective on some of the major challenges facing our country as well as my vision for Canada.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers. But I do want to share with you my approach to solving these, and other problems.

In my view, we – especially those who serve in political office – must be far more transparent and accountable, for our words, our beliefs, and most of all, our actions.

We have a duty to Canadians to be forthright with them about our views and why we hold them – even, maybe especially, when they might be unpopular with some people. The Conservatives have thus far failed in this duty.

Our country faces very real challenges. How do we build modern infrastructure that supports economic and population growth? How do we ensure that all Canadians have access to affordable housing? How do we make our communities, from the smallest outpost to the biggest city, the safest in the world?

I believe that this country’s great strength is our diversity. We should be proud of our communities and our regions; proud of the fact that our system is open and flexible, so that solutions developed in one community can be adapted and spread to other communities across Canada.

I do not believe the federal government should take a top-down approach to policy. I believe in partnership. Canadians want to know that we are working together, looking out for their interests and helping them solve their problems.

For me, the biggest of these problems is the fact that middle class Canadians have not had a decent raise in 30 years. That the economy has more than doubled in that time hides the real problem: in those three decades, middle class incomes have grown just 13 percent. For the first time, Canadians doubt whether they will leave a country to their children that is better than the one they inherited from their parents.

Because of that, anxiety is growing. The many millions of middle class Canadians are worried that progress – the core Canadian ideal – is under very real threat.

We, all of us, will be judged by the quality of our response to this central challenge.

I am optimistic enough to think better is always possible.

So, I look forward to working with you to build a better Canada. I hope that you will accept this open invitation, whatever your political affiliation, to contribute to our platform for 2015.

Justin